Final answer:
The correct desert landform progression through time starts with a mesa, which erodes into a butte, and finally becomes a chimney.
Step-by-step explanation:
The proper progression of desert landforms through time typically involves the erosion of larger structures into progressively smaller ones. Initially, a flat-topped, steep-sided hill known as a mesa forms. Over time, as the forces of erosion intensify, the mesa becomes smaller, leaving a butte. Eventually, the butte erodes further, creating an even smaller pinnacle-like structure called a chimney or hoodoo. Therefore, the correct progression through time is: mesa, then butte, and finally chimney.